Money
by Xx8BlueMoon8xX
Summary: Money was over rated. Money turned little boys into bad men, but Butters found it was better not to worry about the stuff. Kenny needed money, hated it for ruining his family, but needed it none the less. It was then an unlikely friendship was born.
1. Strange

**Just a quick Authors note here~ This is my first real fanfiction! So I'm really sorry if the writing is bad... Im a little rusty. Fff Havn't written anything in a while... Excuse me for any typos or like mess ups. So anyhoo this is a fanfic I've dubbed Money (I might change the title later on) and it started out as just an idea that Butters, my favorite character, actually needed to do favors for people to earn some money to repay a thug, but as I started writing it sort of verged off that path into something else entirely. I still only have a vague idea where this is going... But hopefully somewhere. And yes this is a Bunny fic BUT it won't be just your averge fluff cuz I plan on making this a horror story, so expect more of a twisted kind of relationship. Also, the story goes back and forth in Third person but switches from Kenny and Butters, and it's really easy to tell who's POV it is. Mmmkay that's about it... Enjoy! (Hopefully...)**

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><p>Butters needed money. <em>No…<em> Needed was an understatement. People needed food. People needed water. To live of course. But money? That was different. Butters was never a materialistic boy, and naturally the thought of "needing money" had never crossed his mind before. The first time somebody gave him money for work was after Butter's finished watering Mrs. Marsh's flower garden. Butter's always loved flowers, the way their petals swayed in the crisp mountain air and the way they seemed to smile up at him. It wasn't even working really. And so when the lady had slipped a wrinkled up ten dollar bill into Butter's open palmed hand, he had blushed profusely and twiddled his thumbs, mumbling something about how it "wasn't necessary" and "naw m'am it was my pleasure." He didn't need the money. What would Butter's use it for anyway? His parents bought him everything he needed, which wasn't much. A new pair of Nike sneakers here, a chocolate candy bar there, and of course, if Butter's was extra good, the newest edition of Hello Kitty Adventure Island.

But no, no, no, she had insisted on it and pushed the money on the muttering boy. "Golly Mrs. Marsh… This wah… T-that sure is kind of you," Butter's had fumbled bumping his knuckles together trying to put on a happy smile. He'd just end up giving the money to somebody who actually needed it. Maybe those nice fellows down at the NASCAR track…

"Spend it on somethin' nice," she had said with a wink.

_Nice. _That was an understatement, too Butter's thought. What was nice? Nice was hot coco and not being grounded and curling up on cold winter's night watching cartoons. Nice certainly wasn't being pushed up against a brick wall, the grain exterior digging into the fabric of Butter's soft blue jacket.

"I-I told you already!" he blubbered, his gaunt cheeks streaked with tears. "I-I don't got any- wahh… money!"

"Shut yo' fucking mouth, bitch!" the thug growled harshly and lifted the frail boy up with one hand clutching Butter's collar. The other was raised above his head in an obviously threatening manor. "Just gimme my money and I won't bash yo' fucking head in!"

Butter's let out a choked sob and desperately clawed at the large mans fingers, trying to pry them off his jacket. "Oh Jesus! Oh God… Sweet love of Christ… My Father's going to… gonna ground me so hard… Ain't got no money, Oh Jesus…" He rambled, his clear blue eyes flooded with another wave of tears as he scrambled to free himself.

"I said shut up, bitch!" the man shouted and this time he yanked Butter's forward, just to slam the boy back into the brick wall with such force it made his body convulse and his eye's to roll back into his head.

"I-I told you mister! I don't have any money!" Butter's cried and hiccupped and cried some more, snot dripping down his nose. Just think if them boys from school could see him now… Snotty nose and bawling like a baby. _Money_. Butter's hated the stuff. It made other people act strange. It made good kids turn into trashy dangerous hooligans. _"I wonder if this guy waahh- was ever a g-good kid…"_ Butter's thought madly to himself.

Fwap! Butter's was knocked out of his thoughts as the thugs fist made contact with his cheek. He let out another choked sob as his head lulled like a rag doll. Blood had begun to dribble from a cut below his eye and Butter's vaguely wondered how much more he could take. _"I-if only I hadn't listened to that… asshole Eric… Good going Butters! Way to let yourself get walked all over AGAIN! You deserve this, you know. Let it be a wahh- reminder t-to you mister…" _he mentally scolded himself as the tears flowed more freely.

"Come ON you little shit! I need my drug money! Come on man! Just cough it up and you can go, bitch! Come on!" the man kept repeating in an almost rhythmic tone as he shook the lifeless teen around. "Come on, man!"

"I-I… told you, sir… I ain't GOT no money to give y-you…!" Butter's managed to stammer through swollen lips. Oh why why _why_ had he listened to Eric! He could be at home right now… Playing computer games or studying for his Geometry final on Monday or mindlessly snacking on whatever chips his Dad had bought that week…. But no he, gullible Butter's, just HAD to go and get himself into this… this… _mess._ Butter's could find no better word to describe this unfortunate predicament. Stupid Butter's and his stupid gullibleness and his stupid urge to please people and his stupid, stupid, _stupid_ lack of money.

The thug began to sweat, the bead's trailing down from his greasy hair trailing down his equally greasy face to build up on his lips. Butters, in his half unconscious trauma, wondered if they tasted salty. He wanted to find out.

So he lunged his head out and touched his tongue to the thugs lips. Except he missed. And landed the tip of his small pink tongue on the man's nose. "Oops!" Butter's giggled as he pulled back, feeling his mind swim in and out of unconsciousness. The edges of his vision wavered as the black closed in on him.

"The fuck man!" the thug shouted and yanked his head as far away from the teen as possible. "Did you just fucking lick me!" He stared at the boy with a disgusted expression, and then deciding on a whim that A. this boy was obviously fucked up and B. he had no money. So with an exasperated sigh, the heavyset man swore and flung Butter's thin body aside. The blonde teen flew through the air and landed on the stanky alleyway concrete floor… right after his little blonde head had hit a dirty trash can. It to fell over causing a loud bang to echo around them.

"Who is that! Get the fuck outta here!" a voice shouted as a dark figure appeared in the doorway of one of the cramped apartment buildings. The figure clutched a baseball bat.

"Aww shit..." the thug whispered and drew his black coat tightly to his body, then high tailed it as fast as possible.

Butter's lay face down in a ditch covered in drainage slime and the cut on his head bleeding profusely. His body twitched once, twice, then lay still.

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><p><em>"Wuhh- I don't know Eric… It all sound's pretty dangerous to me…"<em>

_ "Don't be such a pussy Butters. It's not dangerous," Cartman scoffed and leaned against his kitchen counter. _

_ "Well… if it's not dangerous… why don't YOU do it?" He bumped his knuckles together adding to the raw red spot that seemed to constantly remain there. Stupid nervous habit… _

_ Cartman rolled his eyes and sigh in an over exaggerated way as if it was soooo obvious why he, himself, couldn't go get his game. "Because Butters, I already told you! I'm grounded for staying over at Kinneh's for too long, but that poor faggot still has my copy of Guitar Hero at his pathetic poor ass excuse for a house!" Cartman gruffed, his language drenched with offense. "And cuz I'm grounded oooobviously," here he paused to jam a hand into his Cheesy Poofs bag laying on the counter to fish out a handful of the fakey cheesey snacks, "you have to go and get it for me." And here he shoved a fat finger, covered in cheese dust, into Butter's jacket._

_It left an orange smudge on the otherwise spotlessly clean blue fabric. _

_ "Oh… Well… um…" Butter's mumbled to himself as he looked down to stare at the spot, trying not to think about how his mother would ground him for dirtier up the jacket with cheese filth. "Um… I-I don't wuhh…" He drew out his words still trying to figure out a way out of this. Everybody knew Kenny lived on the "bad" side of town. Across the railroad tracks and out back where all the… bad people lived. Well, that's what his mother had always said and Butter's mother never lied. Well… that's what she had said at least…_

_ "Well what? Are you gonna go get it or not, fag?"_

_ "Um… Well Eric I'd actually prefer the… not option." Butter's said looking down at his feet. Silence. "I-I mean if that's ok with you of course!" he added on with a tone of panic. Butter's had to watch his words. It was like… walking on eggshells. If the eggshells was a two ton hostile teen boy with uncontrollable anger issues and a fist the size of a softball… That was an exaggeration of course. _

_Nobody wanted to make Eric Cartman angry. Not unless you actually liked eating your own parents that is… Butter's shuddered. _

_Silence. Then… "Not? What do you mean… not?"_

_Butter's squirmed uncomfortably, purposely avoiding his friend's aggressive stare. "W-well I just mean... wuh.. Eric that's the um.. bad side of town and um… I just don't wanna ya know…" Butter's bit his lip and raised his small blonde head in defeat. "Die," he finished lamely._

_Cartman was silent once again, a look of contemplation crossed his face as he shoved more cheesy poofs into his mouth. Butter's wished he'd offer some to him, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. "Yeah… Eric being generous… When Heck freezes over…" Butter's thought to himself. The image of a snowy cold Hell suddenly flashed through the boy's mind. Little Satan in a little winter coat with matching mittens and poofball hat. Butter's giggled._

_"Shut up fag," Cartman said and Butter's shut up. _

_"Obedient… Like a dog…" the little voice in his head piped up but Butter's shushed it. "Okay Eric…" He shuffled his feet awkwardly._

_After a moment, Cartman looked Butter's in the eye and said clearly, "You won't die, ok? It'll be just fine. Just get to Kenny's apartment, get that fucker to give you my game, and head back over to my place. It won't take more then… an hour or so. You'll be fiiiiine," Cartman drawled out and patted his faithful servant on the back. _

_Butter's bit his lip… "You... you sure I'll be fine? Pinky promise…?" He weakly lifted one hand up and flicked his pinky childishly towards the brunette teen._

_Cartman stared at his pinky, then a grin broke out on the teen's chubby features as he leaned back farther on the counter grasping Butter's little pinky in his own thick one. He humored the boy and squeezed his pinky practically crushing it. "Yeah, dude. You'll be just fine. Now just hurry up and go get my game! Being grounded is boring as fuck."_

_"Oh you don't know the half of it, my friend…" Butter's thought to himself and winced._

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><p>"B-butters? Bu-? Buuutter-? But-ters?" a voice was saying. It sound choppy and muffled, like who's ever voice it belong had cotton covering their mouth. "Butters- C-come on, man! W-wake up-" No… It was more like the voice was under water. Or in molasses. Butter's wished the voice would shut up and let him sleep…<p>

"Mmmm... No I just wanna wah- sleep…" the teen managed to whispered quietly as he curled deeper into his sheets. His blanket's felt… different. Not as soft as they usually were. _"Wah- It's… should be about time mother w-washed these…"_ Butter's decided just then.

"Come on, dude! Wake up! Wake u-" The voice, still sounding slow and molasses-y, was getting more persistent now and Butter's felt something shake his body.

"I… I said no!" he squeaked and clutched the sheets immaturely.

"Fuck you, man!" the voice shouted harshly, accompanied by a rough slap to the shoulder. The profanity, and slap, brought him out of his trance with a jolt and Butter's sat up with eyes like saucers.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed, then "What the-!" He clutched the stained sheet's to his small bare chest and looked around wildly suddenly realizing that this was not in fact his room. Or his blanket. Butter's threw the dirty thing across the room and started to cry.

"Save your fucking life and this is what I get in return… fucking Butter's… Ain't gotta be a pussy about it-" Here Butter's rescuer trailed off as they warily eyed the teen's tears. "Oh Jesus Christ… You're crying?"

Butter's eyes were clamped shut, hoping that if he cried some more he'd open them and be back at home in his own bed. "Wahhh!"

The rescuer dragged his, because yes he was indeed a he, long thing finger through his blonde hair and sighed feeling a slight pinch of guilt for cursing. "Look dude… I'm sorry… Just stop crying."

Butter's, eye's still clamped shut, stopped suddenly recognizing the all too familiar voice. _"Wait just a gosh darn second… that sounds an awful lot like…"_ Butter's eyes flew open and clear blue met pasty grey. "Kenny?"

Kenny shrugged and played with the strings of his parka. "Ya? So?"

"No... I mean… Yes! Yes You're just the guy I was wah- looking for!" Butter's exclaimed with a huge smile. "You see… Eric… and Guitar Hero and um… I was coming down here to… but then…" Butter's trailed off and suddenly… It all came rushing down on him. The thug. Getting attacked. The blood… the pain… "I… I…" Butter's became pale, his light blue eye's glazed over.

Kenny pulled back with a weird look on his face. "Butter's? What's wrong- Woah!" He shouted and practically flew off the bed as the teen fell forward with an oomph, laying unconscious on the stained bed spread where Kenny had sat just moments ago.

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><p><em>The boy, with messy blonde hair sticking every which way, tugged on his parka strings, a look of concentration masking his face. He lightly tapped his chewed on Number 2 pencil on the sheet of notebook paper in front of him, his eye's grazing over the open textbook to his left. His mother silently stirred the pot of boiling macaroni noodles, one of the only foods they could afford. There was an air of awkwardness that lay in the room like a thick fog. <em>

_ "You studying for that big final you gots on Monday, Kinneh?" his mom, he flaming red hair tied back in a messy ponytail, drawled in that accent of hers from her spot in the kitchen. Well, it wasn't really a kitchen. It was more like… well it wasn't a separate room like Kenny's friend's kitchens. It was just a section of the dining room with a refrigerator and a stove shoved in the corner, accompanied by a couple of countertops crudely jammed together. For what seemed like the millionth time, Kenny cursed God for his living conditions._

_ "Yeah yeah, Ma," he replied. Tap tap tap went the pencil. "Im studying." "Studying my ass…" he silently thought to himself. As his mom turned back to the macaroni to read the directions on the small cardboard box, Kenny flipped to the Playboy that was carefully hidden under the Math book. _

_It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair Kenny lived in the poor ass house he did. It wasn't fair he had to have boxed macaroni every night with the occasional stale pop tart. It wasn't fair they had barely enough money to get by… Sometimes Kenny wished that when he died… he'd just stay dead. One less mouth to feed for his dear old Ma. She always did deserve better… She was a good Ma, even though his stained sheets and dirty scratched up face said otherwise. She loved Kenny and that's all that really mattered. All she asked of him in return for her love was to study hard and do well in school so that he'd get a good education and maybe some day "get outta this damn ghetto and make something of himself" as she put it. Kenny almost felt guilty for sneaking looks at the Playboy instead of doing mindless Geometry problems._

_ Almost._

_ "Dinner in five minutes, Kinneh. Do your Mama a favor and take outta the trash, will ya?" she asked and dumped powdered cheese into the soupy noodle mixture._

_ Kenny just nodded, and careful for her not to see the magazine, tucked the rolled up thing into his back jean pocket and headed towards the back door._

_ Whistling to himself, Kenny strolled out into the back alley behind his house, one hand grasped around the black plastic garbage bag. That's when he saw them. Well, kinda. It was hard to see and Kenny's vision was blurred by the growing darkness, but he could almost make out two struggling shapes in the distance. Keeping his head down, Kenny silently tossed the garbage bag to the side hoping not to intrude. Hell, that may seem like a cowardly act, but Kenny was no superhero. This was the ghetto. Hit and runs… Rape… Mugging… Shit like that went down on a daily basis out beyond the railroad where he lived. It was just another poor bastard falling victim to an even poorer bastard. "Probably being hassled for drug money…" Kenny thought to himself as he turned back inside to the sickeningly all too familiar smell of cooking mac'n'cheese…_

_ "I-I… told you, sir… I ain't GOT no money to give y-you…"_

_ Kenny froze. No… it couldn't be… That as impossible. Not out here in the 'bad' part of town… Why in the hell would… No. He must've been hearing things… He scrunched up his nose and continued to go inside, hands jammed in his parka. _

_ "Oops!" The same voice giggled. _

_Kenny froze yet again, his hands clenching the fabric till his knuckles turned white. He'd know that giggle anywhere…No. No. No… What the fuck man. Why would Butters Leopold Stotch be here! Of all places…! That little fag couldn't throw a punch if his life depended on it. Very slowly… Kenny reached a single arm out to grab the baseball bat that was propped up against the bricks._

_He heard the larger guy shout out something full of profanities and pull his arms back, bringing the small figure of what Kenny assured himself was Butter's with him. Kenny clutched the bat's handle with his thin fingers and prepared himself to kick some druggie ass. _

_Almost in slow motion, Kenny watched the man fling the lifeless teen across the alleyway. Butter's dark figure went sailing through the air and Kenny felt his heart skip a beat as he watched the boy's head smack against a garbage can and his limp body fall into a drainage ditch. He gritted his teeth furiously and lunged himself outside. "Who is that! Get the fuck outta here!" he shouted with all his might wildly waving the bat above his head, a manic glint in his eyes. _

"_Awww shit…" he heard the voice mutter as the figure sprinted off. _

_Kenny grunted as he heaved himself forward, the weight of the metal bat heavy in his hands. This was gonna feel real nice. "Get the fuck back here, coward!" Kenny shouted into the dark as he ran after the man. "Years of running home from school really does pay off I guess…" Kenny casually thought as he chased after the druggie with a metal bat clutched in his sweaty palms. _

_He was running so close to the man now Kenny could smell the rotten garbage slept in a cardboard box last night smell that was usually in this kinda neighborhood that reeked on the mugger's body. He could see the man's thick legs pumping through the crisp air and his greasy hair flying in the wind behind him. Kenny let out a wild hoot of laughter and swung the bat. "Woohoo!" It made instant content with the back of the mugger's head with a sickening crack and he collapsed in a crumpled heap. Kenny stopped and leaned his palms on his knees breathing deeply. Then, he laughed. He just laughed and did sort of a half fist pump. That was the most fun he had had in weeks! "Yeah man! I got you! I got you, bitch!" he shouted with glee and tapped the man's back with the end of the bat. _

_The man stirred and groaned a little. _

_Kenny's expression darkened and he swung again, this time bashing the man's head in. He didn't move after that. _

_The boy gazed at the blood flecks on his parka absent mindedly, and then kicked the guy over to root through his black trench coat. "Aww… Sick man…" he said disgusted as he pulled out various wallets. Kenny had little remorse for thieves. So what if you needed money to live… It was better to go hungry then to go low enough to steal from somebody. Well that was Kenny's opinion at least. That scum deserved to die. He searched for a bit, hoping to find the wallet the fucker must've snatched from Butters._

_Butters._

_Gahh that's right… In Kenny's mad heated chase he had completely forgotten about the poor kid. He was probably bleeding and in shock back in that gutter… A look of horror plastered on his small face. His little nose scrunched up in worry and his pretty blue eyes glazed over… Kenny shook his head to clear his mind. "Get a holda yourself, Mcormick…" he thought. "He's probably still unconscious loosing more blood by the minute…" _

_He glanced back down at the man, well what was once a man. It was now an empty shell. A corpse. Kenny wore the same dark grim look and leaned against the bat twisting his aching wrists. It felt kinda… good actually. Killing someone that is. Once you've seen, well experienced first handedly but that wasn't important, as much death as Kenny had, it looses it's shock appeal. And honestly it felt really good to be on the other side of fate. The predator, not the victim that is. As disturbing as that sounded, it was the honest truth._

_He could remember his first time dying in perfect detail. He was only at the mere age of two when that Lego piece had managed to find its way lodged into his windpipe. Kenny would never forget that moment in his inferior toddler mind when the darkness tainted the edges of his vision and he felt the life slip right outta him. You know when you have a dream, like, where you're falling? Or even worse… choking? And you know that terrible, horrible gut feeling you get where you know most definitely this is the end? And the darkness comes and there's that, like sudden rushed panicked feeling in you're heart..? Well multiply that by about… six. Cuz in a dream right before you hit the ground you're falling towards or get caught by the monster, you wake up. In real life… it's different. There is no wake up. It was, to say the least, the most frightening experience of Kenny's life. Which actually wasn't saying much as he hadn't experienced that much in his two years of living… But that wasn't the point. The point was that dying was just a nothing aspect of daily life. It had been that way as long as Kenny could remember. Live. Die. Wake up in bed with death still fresh in the mind while nobody else realizes you had just been decapitated or stabbed or shot or run over while you on the other hand remember in perfect crystal clear clarity every detail of your horrific death in your mind. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. _

"_Stop rambling, dumbass. Butter's is probably bloodless and broken back there while you ramble on about the aspects of life and death and all that faggy shit." Kenny's conscience jerked him back to reality. With one last look at the dead man at his feet, Kenny slung the bat over one shoulder and walked back towards the way he came, whistling all the way. _

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><p>The second time waking up was easier. Cuz this time Butters wasn't as shocked as the first time when he had woken up shirtless and bruised on Kenny Mcormick's bed, a dull ache pounding in his head and a dirty blanket wrapped around his bare shoulders.<p>

"Wuh… What the… where the heck…" Butters murmured as his vision swam and his ears rung. After a moment or two, the small boy looked around hesitantly and chewed his lip. "Oh... right." The realization didn't hit as hard that time. Eric… Guitar Hero… Getting mugged… Kenny… Kenny? Butters head spun around wildly as he searched for the boy in question.

"Wuh- Kenny? Um… Kenny are you in here…?" He whispered quietly reaching up to rub his knuckles. "This better not be um… a t-trick or somethin' ya know…" He was still a bit jumpy from being mugged an all… Oh gosh what would his mother say…

He sat on the empty bed a little longer hoping, no praying to the dear Lord that Kenny wasn't hiding in the closest getting ready to scare him… Or that the mugger wouldn't climb through that window over there and grab him again… "Seriously Kenny! This isn't funny!" Butters felt tears prick in his eyes. _"Stop that c-crying you… crybaby! You should.. wuh- be ashamed of yourself! Crying like that in a friend's house…" _Butters had that awful habit of scolding himself. But… then again the voice was right. He had to be a big man right now and suck it up.

Anyway… was Kenny his friend really? Butters didn't know. _"I mean… He would have a r-reason to wah… resent me… After all his friends did replace him with m-me that one time…" _he concluded to it wasn't like… they were close or anything. Sure yeah Butters had been on his share of adventures with Kenny as well as Stan, Kyle… and Eric. Butters gave a moment to give a quick scowl, his eyebrows furrowing together and his nose wrinkling up. That… that asshole. This was all _his_ fault Butters was even here!

Adventures… More like one stupid mistake after another on gullible Butters part as he fell victim to the boy's ridiculous plans. Oh Butters! Be a squirrel and go take pictures with Miss Spears! Oh Butters! Sorry about that ninja star to the eye… We'll take you to the vet! Oh Butters! We need to dress you up like a girl to get a silly old fortuneteller! Ok… Ok he had to admit that last one wasn't _so _bad… Actually, not that Butters would admit this to anyone, he had quite enjoyed being Marjorine. It made him feel exhilarated and enthusiastic… Especially dancing. And the dress. And the makeup… But Butters would ever admit that. Never ever.

"Y-you come out right now, mister!" Butters said boldly as he drew his little hands into shaking fists. "Wahh- Don't make me go over there! I'll um… give you a right scolding young man!" Butters hardly knew how to be intimidating, so he tried with all his fifteen year old heart to sound as commanding as his father. Why would Kenny do that to him? Hide in that closest over there just to scare him! Hadn't he saved Butters from the man? What if the man had gotten Kenny! Oh Jesus… That would be terrible... Butters would feel so terribly guilty if anything had happened to Kenny cuz of Butters stupid mistake. Especially after the teen had saved his life and all…. Butter's thoughts trailed off as he spied a slightly dusty Guitar Hero box sitting on Kenny's dresser.

"Oh!" he exclaimed and hopped off the bed, his sock feet lightly padding on the carpeted floor. "Hey!" Butter's approached the box and smiled. At least there was that small comfort in knowing that the whole trip wasn't _completely_ worthless. He had found what he had came for, and now he was sure Eric wouldn't yell at him or call him a fag or something mean like that… He picked up the thin box, made sure the little disk was inside, and then slipped it into his back jean pocket.

Feeling a bit more confidant and most definitely less like a crybaby, Butters looked around at Kenny's room really taking in his surroundings for the first time. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in this room… There was a stained bed, well more like a mattress strewn across a bare metal holder with some dirty sheets. The walls were a pale color that Butters decided must've been white at one point, but were know a kind of sickly whitish yellow. There was the dresser he had found the game on that held only a bare light bulb lap lacking its lampshade and an assortment of posters covering the walls. There was lots of NASCAR ones… And some comic book ones… And much to Butters embarrassment, a half naked bikini clad lady.

He let his eyes wonder through the rest of the room, taking notice of the menacing looking dark closet… And the dresser… And orange curtains the same shade as Kenny's infamous parka. Butters ran his small hand along it allowing the fabric to slip through his fingers then looking up to gaze out the window. It was already pretty dark outside and the moon shone down on the grimy garbage cans and brick apartment buildings. Butters could even see the railroad tracks from his spot. He bit his lip yet again as he peered into the darkness. "I am so grounded…" he whispered to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. It was way past dinner and well into the evening. Strictly off limit time for Butters. His parents were going _murder_ him…

The blonde teen glanced around quickly, and then kneeled down on the floor. He propped his folded hands up on the windowsill and rested his forehead on his wrists. His eyes clamped down determined. "Oh… Oh hey Lord are you there? Um… It's me. Leopold." He always used his real name when talking to God. His mother always taught him to be polite to God cuz God was always watching and he liked polite little boys. Little boys who didn't cuss or hurt people or thought about other little boys in certain ways… Butters winced.

"So anyway…God. I'm in a l-little um… situation," Butter's continued quickly muttering into his freezing forearms. Gosh it sure was cold in Kenny's room… "You see… You know Eric right?" Butters knew that was a stupid question. Of course God knew about Eric Cartman. "Well y-ya see… He did that thing he always does… Where he wah- gets me to do um… stupid stuff." God knew about that thing. "And there was one of those bad men that my mother warns me about…. And he wah- attacked me?" Was that the right word? Attacked? Butters decided that was the perfect word for it. "It…golly it hurt God…" One hand crept up to touch the cut on his cheekbone and winced. It trailed down the touch the bruises on his scrawny chest then returned back to its place. Laced together with his other hand and underneath his forehead. "Anyway… Kenny. You know Kenny right? Well h-he… he wah- he rescued me! That brave fella… B-but… Now he left me alone and well… I'm sorta all alone and y-ya see God…" Butter's trailed off and felt a hard lump form in his throat. _"Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry,"_ The little voice in his head commanded. "And y-ya see… I…" The tears stung his eyes and he blinked them away stubbornly. "God, I just don't wanna be grounded again… Not again… I'm so sick of it, God," he finished his prayer quietly.

"He doesn't listen you know."

"Wahhhhhhhhhh!" Butters screamed a shrill loud scream and flung his body around so fast his neck cracked. "Ouch…" he mumbled and rubbed his neck.

Kenny's eyes widened, then he laughed loudly.

The blonde glared at the other teen. "Jesus Kenny! Don't wah- sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me a h-heart attack!" Butters yelled at him.

He just shrugged and walked into the room, hands jammed into his parka. "He doesn't listen." Kenny repeated with a sad smile.

"Who? God?"

A nod.

"No way! God listens to me if I'm a good boy… That's what my mother says and wah- she doesn't lie cuz my mother wouldn't lie t-to me… 'Now Leopold' she says 'Leopold as long as you are a good boy and are always polite and don't think bad thoughts' she says 'God will _always_ listen to you-"

"Shut up, Butters," Kenny said abruptly cutting off his rabbles. "And what do you mean 'bad thoughts'. Like… killing and stuff?" Butters watched as he finished dragging his fingers through his hair. Then they wondered down to tug on the parka strings. He seemed to do that a lot.

"Wah- No… Like… Bad things ya know? Bad thoughts. Naughty thoughts about… well you know…" Butters shuffled his feet and looked down suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He _hated_ this subject. He hated talking about it with his parents. He hated thinking about it every time somebody called him a…_fag._ And he especially hated it whenever the voice reminded him of things he tried to forget. Like the way that dress had felt, or how he had looked with lipstick on.

Kenny was silent. "Oh… Well I mean you're gay right?" he said nonchalantly. Butters secretly admired the way he said it so… blatantly casual. Like it was _no big deal _or anything. But Butters would never admit that.

"What? No!" he shouted and bumped his knuckles together, clearly offended. "No!" he insisted.

Kenny just shrugged, and already bored with the conversation, his eyes wondered around the room. They stopped on the dressed and Kenny stiffened. "Where's the…" His eye's traveled from the empty dresser to a nervous looking Butters then back to the dresser. "Guitar Hero," he said with a frown.

It was Butters turn to shrug. "Um… ya so?" He bit his lip. "Yeah I took it! So? It's not even yours anyway…" Butter's was hushed by Kenny, who raised one hand up.

"So… Lemme get this right. You came here to get this… Guitar Hero game?" Butters nodded and a look came over Kenny's face. A dark look that made chills go up the shorter boys spine. Butters didn't like that look… It made Kenny's clear blue grey eyes look too sharp.

"Well… wah- um… Yeah"

"Cartman's Guitar Hero game."

Butters could only nod again… Not quite knowing where this was going.

"You came _here_ to _this_ neighborhood to get _Cartman's _stupid game?... _Why!" _Kenny practically shouted the last part, a look of disbelief and anger twisted his face.

Butters just stared at him blankly. Another shrug. "Um… cuz h-he told me to?" Was there even a need of an explanation? This was _Cartman_ they were talking about. And he was _Butters_. That itself was enough of an explanation.

"That… that fucking asshole!" Kenny shouted in disbelief and gritted his teeth. "I'm gonna fucking bash his fat fucking head into the fucking curb… I can't believe he'd make _you_ come all the way down here… for a fucking Guitar Hero game…" Now Kenny was muttering to himself, throwing in the occasional curse word and kicking clouds of dust up from his carpet.

"Um… Wah- Kenny! Don't get all upset about it… I didn't mind honest!" Ok. That was a lie. In reality Butters had 100% objected to the idea of going down to this neighborhood to get the game, but he knew that wasn't something comforting Kenny wanted to here.

"Shut _up_, Butters!" Kenny gritted his teeth and- punched his wall? Butters let out a startled cry as Kenny had pulled his arm back and plunged his fist elbow deep into the wall. Kenny bit his lip to stop from crying out as he tumbled to the floor.

"Wah- excuse my l-language… But um… What the fuck!" Butters said still in shock as he ran over to Kenny. "What the heck was _that_!"

Kenny was choking in pain, his right arm bleeding a bit. He was trying to make something out… But it was hard to hear when he kept stopping and starting and trailing off to pant. "Don… Don't s-say…heck… that's so…so…"

"So what…?"

"So faggy!"

"Oh…"

Butters hung his head down for a moment, then leaned down to help the parka clad boy up. "Wow… W-why did you do that?" Butters inquired curiously as he looked at the large gaping hole in the wall.

"I…" Kenny looked over at it too as if for the first time and his eyes widened. _"What? Did he not even realize h-he totally wah- punched that w-wall!" _Butters thought in amazement. Kenny did that thing he always did again… Where he'd trail off like that, a kinda far away look in his eyes like there was something he could see that Butters couldn't. And his brows would furrow together and he'd look… angry? Yeah angry was a good word Butters decided… But always deep in thought. Contemplating.

"I don't know. Just get angry sometimes…" he finally mumbled and looked almost bashful as he stared at the hole in the plaster. "Damn. That's gonna cost some money."

"I don't like money."

Butters covered his mouth quickly and flushed hoping to the dear Lord that Kenny hadn't heard him. He hadn't even meant to say it. Honestly, it had just kinda slipped out. _"Gah! Butters you dumb idiot!" _Butters yelled at himself. _"Don't. Mention. Money. At. Kennys house!" "Well… he did say it first…" _His conscience threw in. The blonde teen stared at him funny as Butters clutched him mouth.

"What."

"U-um…" Butters stuttered. _"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." _"I wah- didn't say anything!" _"God said not to lie Leopold!"_ Butters winced and told the little voice to kindly shut up as Kenny just cocked his head and stared.

"You hate… money?"

"Well... um yeah. Cuz y-ya know… It's such a bothersome thing. A-and it makes people act funny. Not how they normally act…" Now Butters had started rambling. "And my mother always said 'Leopold, dear, if you are a good boy and do everything I ask of you then we your parents will provide for you' she said and she would also s-say and stuff like 'and Leopold remember that if you ever get any money, it'd be best to give it to the less fortunate' she said 'cuz the lest fortunate need it more then you' and I listened to her! Cuz honestly I ain't g-got any waah- use for money… It only causes fighting and makes stinky men like that guy who attacked more…" Butters trailed off… wondering why Kenny hadn't cut his ramble off. He looked at the other boy's expression, which was, to Butters delight, alert and absorbed in the conversation.

"Yeah… Yeah Butters. I totally get what your saying."

"Y-ya do?"

"Yeah I hate money too."

"You _do?_!"

"Yeah… Money is nice when you have it, but it's fucking hell when you need it but ain't got it. Cuz like ya know my family isn't the," Kenny coughed a little, "most richest family in South Park…" Butters knew that. " Actually My parents puts most of the money they get into school so I can go to South Park High." Butters didn't know that.

"R-really? Like wah- they need extra money just so you can go to stinky South Park High?" Butters suddenly felt guilty for taking all his years of school for granted.

Kenny nodded. "Yeah. The other kid's parents… they just spend all their money on coke and shit."

"Like the drink...?"

"No Butters not the drink…" Another funny look. "The illegal drug."

"Oh." He felt really stupid. "Wah- I knew that."

They had moved to sitting cross legged Indian style on the carpet, and Butters had at first mentally objected to it as not wanting to get dirty on his new pants from the gross looking carpet. But he was too absorbed in Kenny to notice, or even care for that matter. The small framed boy was leaning forward, knuckles bumping of course, and his eyes glued to Kenny's. He had never realized how… interesting the other teen was. As kids, Kenny as always the one over looked and underappreciated and what with that silly hood covering his mouth and muffling his speech all the time… It was hard holding a conversation with him. But now Butters and Kenny, the latter of the two with his orange hood down and mouth exposed, were talking just fine.

Kenny had that strange look on his face. Well not _the_ look, the far away one, but another one he seemed to use frequently around Butters. Where he'd lean his head to one side, eyebrows shifting a little and he'd stare at him like he couldn't really believe he was really here. Butters couldn't decide then if he liked the look or not.

Kenny set his elbow on his knee and leaned his scratched up cheek on his clenched fist just…staring at the other boy. "So," he finally said after getting comfortable.

"So…" Butters picked at his nails awkwardly. He cursed himself again for being so awkward and wished that he would give off a good impression as Kenny. He wished Kenny would think he was as intriguing as Butters thought _he_ was. _"Stupid. Stupid Stupid…" _

"How are ya feeling?"

"_Stupid-" _"Hmm wah- W-what?" Butters was drawn out of his internal argument to focus his gaze back on Kenny who was eyeing up the cut on Butters cheekbone. Slowly his eyes traveled south and looked at the dark purple bruises that smudge Butters bare chest.

"That motherfucker really hurt you huh?"

"Naw… It's not that bad. I mean I've h-had worse…" Another lie. _"Jesus Christ Butters you're on a roll today huh?" _Butters head ached and he suddenly just wanted to be at home… Back in his soft warm bed drinking hot coco while his mother rubbed his back.

A dark look crossed Kenny's face. "Worse… yeah. Like that time I threw a fucking ninja star in your eye…" He looked down scornfully and pursed his lips together.

"Wha-No! I mean y-yes that did hurt… But um I was ok right?" Butters said quickly not wanting to upset his new friend. They _were _friends now… right? Butters never really was quite clear on the rules of friendship, but he was almost positive that if somebody saved your life as Kenny had done for him, that counted towards a friendship. Plus it was pretty friendly how Kenny was moving closer… and closer? "Wha-what…?" Butters trailed off as Kenny scooted towards him with one hand stretched out.

His fingers grazed the skin right above and below Butters left eye socket. And Butters couldn't help but feel little chills run up and down his back… _"No Leopold. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts." _His voice of conscience echoed, this time taking the voice of his concerned, but angry father. Kenny stared intently at the faint outline of a scar, a look of pity and guilt on his handsome- _"No."_ features…. His fingers were a considerable length and thin like pencils, his touch as light as a feather as he touched the place he had hurt so long ago.

"I'm really sorry you know..." he whispered and withdrew his fingers. Butters kinda sorta almost wished he hadn't stopped… But he would _never_ admit that out loud of course.

"Um…" For once Butters was lost for words, his voice hanging open a little. "It's ok, Kenny. Honest. I'm wah- fine!"

The other teen's wondering fingers worked their way downwards as he used the same feathery touch on Butters bare chest, lightly touching each and every bruise. "I was um… really worried you were like dead ya know." _"Is he wah- touching my chest!" _"I didn't think you'd like survive that." _"Jesus Christ w-why is he doing this!" _"Cuz I mean that fucker threw you pretty hard and your pretty small." _"And why am I letting him?" _

"You're actually pretty tough, Leopold Stoch." A light playful punch to the shoulder. "Not such a little pussy after all, huh?" Kenny pulled his hand back and smiled warmly at the boy.

Butters just stared at him immediately missing the warmth of his touch. "Um.. yeah…" _"Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts. This is what the counselor had warned you about, Butters! This is directly what you aren't supposed to be doing! What are you d-doing mister! You should wah- be home r-right now!"_

"I um... waah- need to be getting h-home now, Kenny…" He practically whispered the boy's name.

Kenny prickled. "Oh… Right um ya. You'd probably be grounded, huh…"

The other teen nodded.

Kenny was silent for a minute, and Butters could see he was deep in thought. "Well… I mean I totally would like drive you home but our car is kinda outta gas… And were actually um," here, to Butters astonishment, Kenny blushed, "outta gas money, too."

So a ride home was out of the question.

"It's ok, Kenny! I'll walk home."

"_No_." He had said it so forcefully that Butters pulled back in surprise and fell backwards on the carpeting. After a moment, he pulled himself up and stared at his friend. "Um… No? Ya see Kenny I don't think you're um... wah- gettin' the point. I'm already gonna be grounded for staying out as it is… waah- I really need to get home…"

"I said no. Sorry dude, but you cant go outside alone at this time of night. Trust me when I say you would _honestly_ be putting your life in danger," Kenny said in all seriousness. And Butters believed him. It was just so… easy to believe what this rough harden boy said and Butters hung on to his every word like a hurt puppy.

"So-so what am I wah- supposed to do then?"

"You can stay the night over here until morning. Then we can um… I don't know. I'll get Kyle to drive you home. He's a nice guy like that."

S-stay… over night? _"Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts." _"Oh Golly… Um wow Kenny that sure is wah- nice of you!" Butters whispered, his eyes locked down onto his own crossed legs.

Kenny shrugged.

"I mean… really that's nice…." Butters glanced up at the boy and met his eyes. This, well this was their real test of friendship. Yeah, Butters had had lots of sleepovers before, with Eric that is, and he was _positive_ that that was only what friends would do. This would mean they would be, did he dare say it- friends? We he and Kenny friends?

"Kenny…Are we friends?"

The other boy stiffened and sat up, that same darn look on his face. His mouth pursed and he dug those long fingers into his hair again combing through it lightly just adding to its messiness. Then he smiled. "Um well… Yeah. Yeah we're friends Butters."

Butters beamed and felt actually… really proud of himself. Friendship was something Butter's had always lacked and in reality, Eric was the only one to really confirm their existent friendship. It filled the teen with a happy bubbly feeling that this other kid, somebody who was most _definitely_ not Eric, said they were friends. After that, the boy perked up quite a considerable amount. "Well gee thanks Kenny! That means a lot Kenny!" Even saying his name was special. Cuz it was saying a _friends_ name.

Kenny laughed a little bit and stared at him. "You're a strange kid Butters."

He froze. Strange? "Strange? Well um… wah- strange in a good way," Was that even possible to be strange in a good way! "or strange in an um b-bad way…" The happy feelings quickly melted away.

The other teen shrugged… then said, "In a good way I guess. But I hardly see how that matters. It shouldn't matter what I think." Butters knew that statement was a huge understatement for Kenny's opinion on him mattered a whole heck of a lot to the boy. But he would never admit _that_ of course.

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><p><strong>Hope that was at least somewhat enjoyable... Reviews make me very very very extremely tearfully happy. Seriously. ;v; More to come soon... hopefully. Buh bai~<strong>

**p.s. I don't own South Park (Obviously) **


	2. A New Friendship

**Here's there second chapter~ It's a little bit shorter then the first one, but that's cuz I knew I could've written more but I was eager to upload this ;v; Plus I liked where this chapter cut off... So hope you enjoy~**

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><p>"<em>Oh Jesus…" Kenny whispered, and his hand absentsentmindly found its way to his disheveled hair. Poor Butters. His crippled form lay in the drainage ditch looking quite pathetic. A steady stream of blood was flowing somewhere from where his head lay adding to the growing puddle. "Pleas don't be dead… Please don't be dead…" Kenny silently chanted as he bent down to observe to distressed teen. He rolled Butter's over and peered into his face…. and let out the breath of air he hadn't known he had been holding. His small chest, looking even more frail in the dim lighting, rose slowly down and up. The movement was barley visable, but still there none the less.<em>

"_Thank God," Kenny said, the edges of his lips turning up in a smile. With a loud grunt, the teen lifted Butter's by his waist and slung him over his shoulders with ease. He trudged across the filthy street towards his own apartment and swung the door open. "Mom! We got a guest," Kenny shouted and ducked down to avoid hitting the unconscience boy's head on the doorway._

"_What's that, Kinneh dear?" his mom paused to ask, and the wooden spoon hovered over a plate piled high with noodles and cheese. She eyed the wet, bleeding boy over her son's shoulders, and her eyes widened. "Awww Kinneh… I know you feel bad an' all, but you can't go picking up every stray kid ya see…" she drawled and bit her lip. _

_Kenny just shook his head. "Naw Mom. This is Butters. You know the Stotch's boy?" He jerked up to lift the blonde higher on his shoulders and started towards the stairs. _

_A look of reconization crossed her face. "Oh! Right… That Stotch boy… Oh dear Kinneh, he's gonna be alright, right?" Her eye's darted at the blood crusting on his baby blue jacket, then up at the trail leaking from his hair. _

_He frowned and glanced down at the boy. "I dunno," he paused for a moment then said, "but Imma move him up stairs. Bring up some water and a washcloth or something, alright?"_

"_Alrighty, Kinneh…" she replied and grabbed a dirty looking towel laying near the sink as Kenny began to heave Butters up the stairs. _

"_Let's go you…" he whispered into the blonde's hair as he climbed. Step by step he carried him, pausing only once to catch his breath, until he reached the top. Fearing for Butters safety, he hold the boy closer and ran into his room to sling him onto his bed. _

_ Kenny took only a moment to stare down at the boy. His hair was sweaty and stuck to his face, which was a bright red color that practically radiated heat from his growing fever. He looked so… pathetic? No… Vulnerable. He looked so vulnerable laying there on his bed with his bloody little jacket at flushed cheeks. His chest rose softly in time with his choked breaths, and for a wild few seconds Kenny could picture the boy as a sculpture. "A perfect moldel of something vulnerable in a room full of defiance," he whispered, and Butter's suddenly moaned. _

_ "Ohhh… don't hurt me… Got no money…" he murmured and clutched the sheets to him. This drew Kenny out of his delusional fantasy and back to the living reality. The boy was bleeding, possibly dying, and obviously, needed his help. _

_ In one swift movement, Kenny zipped off his crust jacket and flung it across the room. Next was his shirt. It was a pale pink color and Kenny had to stifle his laughter at the thing as he tried to wrestle Butters out of it. After a few moments of struggling, Kenny gave up and resorted to snipping the cloth of his body with a pair of scissors out of his drawer. The cut up cloth joined the jacket in the corner of the room. _

_ "Hmmm… wow that's not good," Kenny quietly thought out loud as he stared at the rows of bruises ranging from tiny fingertip sized to big dark blotches. They looked extremely painful. Kenny sat on his bed next to the teen and reached towards them, lightly stroking them with his feathery touch. This enacted a small moan to escape Butters lips as trembles hit his body. Kenny pulled back his arm to tug on a parka sring._

_ "Mom! Where's that towel!" he turned to shout at the door. _

_ "Coming, Kinneh dear. Hol' your horses!" a voice called back and the shallow face of his mom appeared in the doorway. There were dark circles under her eyes and wisps of firey hair stuck out from the ponytail. She held a bottle of pills in one hand, and a dripping wet washcloth clutched in the other._

_ After setting the objects in a pile, she left without a word, and Kenny went to work. First, he scrubbed at the crusty blood on Butters chest and back, paying close attention to mind the tender looking bruises, then moved to wiping the thin trails pouring from his head. He staunched the blood flow, and dabbed the cut on his cheek. Satisfied with his job, Kenny grabbed the bottle of pills and turned towards the teen. "Wakey wakey Butters… Time for your meds," he said with a smile and nudged the boys shoulder. No response. "Butters? Butters, dude come on wake up. Butters? Butters! Wake up, man!" Kenny said a bit more forcefully, the pills dropped to the floor and forgotten, and shook his small shoulders, trying to avoid the bruises there. "Butters. Come on, man! Wake up…" _

_A small whisper came from his mouth. "Mmmm... No I just wanna wah- sleep…" _

"_Come on, dude! Wake up! Wake up!" This was starting to get ridiculous. All rational thought left Kenny as he starred down at the blonde with disgust. Here he had totally just saved the kid's life and now he wouldn't even wake up for him!_

"_I… I said no!" he squeaked, and brought the limp shirts closer to him._

_Kenny saw red. "Fuck you, man!" he shouted at Butters and brought back his wrist only to bring it back down in a hard slap on his bruised flesh. Kenny instantly regretted hitting him so hard, but he was still frustrated. Why hadn't the little fag just woken up in the first place? _

"_Ahhhh!" he screamed, furthering Kenny's guilt, then choked out a "What the-!" and looked around wildly. Slowly at first, the tears squeeze out of his eyes, then to Kenny's horror, Butter's clamped his eyes shut into full blown sobs._

_ "Save your fucking life and this is what I get in return… fucking Butter's… Ain't gotta be a pussy about it-" Kenny muttered, but eyed up the tears. "Oh Jesus Christ… You're crying…" he said, and bit his lip. _

_ Butters continued to cry, nose snotty and eyes closer, his face pinched in a look of panic. "Waaaaahhh!" he sniveled. _

_ Distressed and not the best at comforting, Kenny patted the smaller boy awkwardly and tried to think of something to say. "Look dude… I'm sorry… Just stop crying," he finally decided on, hoping an apology would stop the waterworks. _

_ That must've done the trick, because Butters mouth shut after a moment and his eyes peeled open slowly. "Kenny?"_

_ "About time…" the teen thought and absentmindedly tugged at his parka strings adding to the growing awkwardness of the whole situation. "Ya? So?" _

_Butters perked up a bit when he saw the blonde teen. "No... I mean… Yes! Yes You're just the guy I was wah- looking for!" he said enthusiastically. "You see… Eric… and Guitar Hero and um… I was coming down here to… but then…" he babbled to the confused Kenny, who only caught bits and pieces of Butters rushed speech. What the fuck was he talking about? Suddenly, the poor boy froze, and that same look of panic crossed his expression. He turned ghost pale and murmured, "I… I…" _

_The side's of Kenny's mouth tugged down into a small frown. "Butter's? What's wrong- Woah!" Without warning, Butters went limp and toppled forward, his eyes rolled back and his face the same shade of milky pale. Kenny jerked out of his way to avoid being flattened by the boy's frail form, and managed to fall of the bed. As Butters lay, once again, unconscience on the bedspread, Kenny scrabbled to stand back up. He managed to steady himself and rubbed the back of his head where it had smacked against the floor. _

"_Jesus Christ," was the only thing he could say as he watched the boy for any sign of movement. When he found none, he shrugged and looked around wondering what to do next. Obveriously, Butters needed a little longer to… recover. His steely blue eyes turned back to gaze at him, watch the ragged breath flow from his parted lips, the way his matted blonde hair, only a few shades lighter then Kenny's own locks, stuck up every which way. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't that bad looking. Kenny noticed, in a very non-gay way mind you, how… feminane Butters features had turned to. Even back in elementary school the kid always had that sort of gonna-definetally-turn-out-gay look to him, what with the big blue doe eyes and rosy cheeks, but Kenny never would've guessed just how right they all were. Even at fifteen the blonde could pass as a girl. And an attractive one at that… _

"_Shut up," he thought to himself and shook his head clear of thoughts. This was not the time and place for this, and Kenny suddenly felt extremely creepy for watching the teen while he slept. He tugged on the ends of his parka strings ceremoniously, signaling that it was time to leave the awkward situation at once. It was time to let Butters sleep off his… trauma. "Good luck, little buddy," he murmured and threw one last casual look at the teen before heading downstairs to, much to his distaste, the smell of macoroni._

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><p>Butters picked at his hands quietly as he waited for Kenny to come back from changing. This was all so new… and strange. Sleeping over at Kenny's house was one thing, as Butters had done it before, but with the rest of the boys. Sleeping over at Kenny's house <em>alone<em>? That was something entirely different.

"Mmmmkay. Bathroom's all yours," Kenny said sleepily as he came in wearing nothing but a white wife beater and a pair of orange checkered boxer shorts.

Carefully not to stare too much at his generous host, Butters jumped up from his spot on the bed and passed Kenny silently, wringing his hands nervously all the way. Ever since that whole 'strange' comment from the teen, Butters had been feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Butters had tried to let it blow over, tried to just forget it, but his attempts were in vain. Did Kenny really think he was...strange? Did he only rescue Butters cuz it was the right thing to do…? What if Kenny was just letting him stay over for the same reason… What if he was thinking he could not _wait_ to get the smaller boy outta his house… The thoughts plagued Butters mind like a disease, rendering him almost speechless throughout the night. Even when the Mcormicks had gratiously let Butters stay for the macoroni dinner. Even though Butters knew it was a cheap dinner, he greatly appreciated the boxed noodles and the poptarts they had for dessert. And much to Butters nervous gratification, Mrs. Mcormick had even pulled out the lone bottle of whipped cream for the poptarts because it was a 'special occasion'. And even though the noodles were still slightly hard and uncooked, and the poptarts were burnt, Butters enjoyed ever bite.

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Dude, are you like… ok? You've been pretty quiet all night."

Butters bristled and paused his journey towards the door, shoulders tensed and knuckles bumping together as usual. "Um… I-I don't know what you're talking about! I'm fine," he lied. In all reality, Butters had indeed said very few words during his stay there. Besides the occasional please and thank you, Butters had been virtually silent.

Now Kenny was frowning. "No seriously man don't do this. I saved your skinny ass from that asshole, now you can't even talk to me? What the hell?"

_"Oh hamburgers way to go, Butters…"_ He whipped around and said, "Oh gee, Kenny! No, it's not like that at all! It's m-more like… oh jeez um… I don't wah- wanna over stay my welcome."

The other boy was silently, a weird look crossing his face, and at that moment Butters wished with his entire heart he could read minds, so as too know exactly what was going on underneath that untidy mop of blonde hair. Then, Kenny laughed. And it wasn't a forced laugh either, it was a nice deep honest laugh that even had Butters chuckling a little bit, too. "Hey… Hey," he said through giggles, "Stop laughing at me! It's n-not funny! I'm wah- serious!"

Kenny collected himself and stood up straight, his eye's still glinting with silent laughter. "Naw, it's cool man. I know you're serious it's just…" He started to laugh again.

"Kenny!"

"Hahaha! Gah I'm sorry, It's just you're so…"

"So what…?" _"Oh God… Oh Jesus please don't say strange…"_

"Butters!" he finished with another laugh.

The other boy was silent. What was that supposed to mean…? His eyebrows furrowed and he crossed his arms in a moment of self conscieness. "I'm so me? What the heck is that supposed to mean…?"

Kenny shrugged and smiled a little. "I dunno. It's just… I guess I'm so used to the other guys, you know fatass barking out orders like Hitler and Kyle's constant faggy whining and Stan's cynical shit of course. I dunno," he repeated. "It's a nice change I guess…for now that is." He shrugged… and tugged at the parka strings yet again. "I'm not used to all this polite shit."

Butters stared at him. Polite shit? Was that a compliment? It was so hard to tell with Kenny. Slowly, a nervous smile formed on Butters face. "Oh… Oh! W-well in that case… Good. Um thanks for the food… and letting me stay here… Thank you, Kenny."

The weird look returned, but this time Kenny was smiling. "Awww well… um your welcome?" He rubbed the back of his head. "If you called that shit food that is…"

"No! I loved dinner."

"The poptarts were burnt."

"They w-were slightly crispy I wah- guess…"

"Yeah… if you like characoal."

That enacted a bubble laugh from Butters and after a few more words were shared between the two, Butters continued on to the bathroom. Inside was just a grimy looking mirror and… a clogged toilet. An equally looking filthy sink sat in the corner, and Butters couldn't help but wrinkle his nose from the smell.

"Ew," he said as he manipulated his way around the spilled water on the floor, and grabbed the oversized orange T-shirt Kenny had left for him. _"Kenny sure l-likes orange," _he vagually thought and yanked it over his head. It draped around him like a dress. He lifted one foot, then the other and pulled up the ratty sweatpants, making sure not to trip over the extra fabric bunching around his ankles. Butters tightened the pants strings, but it still hung off his skinny body uncomfortably over baggy. "Oh hamburgers…" he said with a frown as he looked at himself through the dirty mirror. He looked ridiculous. His sweaty face shone in the bathroom light and the make shift pajamas looked so stupid on him. _"Oh well…it's wah- now or never!" _Butters crossed his little fingers as he walked into the room, hoping Kenny wouldn't comment on how ridiculous he looked.

He stepped inside and all thoughts immediantly left him. The teen gasped, and looked down to avoid staring at the scene. Kenny lounged on his bed, one hand clutching a brightly colored Playboy magazine and the other stuck deep in his pants. There was a look of concentration on his face as he stared at the magazine. After a few tense minutes of arguing with himself whether to leave and come back later, or not, Butters finally let out a tiny cough and flushed red.

Kenny looked up and pulled his hand out, wiping it on the bed spread. He sat up and smiled. "Oh hey," he laughed when he looked Butters up and down. "Ahhh Oops Should've found ya something smaller…huh? Sorry it's just most of my stuff is handy downs from my douche cousins so I don't get a lot of picking what I want…"

As Kenny rambled on about clothes, Butters flushed even more. Why wasn't the teen noticing the extremely awkward situation they were in! Didn't he realize what had just happen! Butters blinked a few times and bit his lip, not knowing what to do.

Kenny trailed off as he noticed the uncomfortable Butters. "What's wrong…" he stopped and looked at the boy eyeing up his magazine. He grinned cheekily. "Oh. Haha where are my manners… You wanna go with it?" Much to Butters extreme embarrassment, Kenny held up the Playboy towards him. "I swiped it from my dad's room but that bastard won't miss it." He shook the thing in Butters direction again.

He shook his head wildly. "Um.. Naw T-that's o-ok Kenny. I'm wah- I'm g-good." _"God dangit," he thought, "my stuttering's wah- really actin' up n-now…"_

Kenny stared up at him frowning, raised an eyebrow again, then shrugged. "Eh whatever man. I mean, it helps me get to sleep, but whatever works for you…" Suddenly he froze, then grinned mischeiviously. "Oh right… You don't play for that team right?"

Butters eyes widened. "W-what?"

"Hey, it's cool with me man. If ya want 'em, I know for a fact my mom's got some men's one's in her bottom drawer."

"_W-what!_" Butters stuttered in horror.

Kenny let out a loud laugh and waggled his eyebrows devilishly. "Haha Calm down, man, I'm just kidding. Learn to fucking take a joke."

"Oh… heh…" Butters tried to laugh, but it caught in his throat. At this point, he would've taken walking home and risking getting mugged again over _this._

Kenny sat up Indian style, and clasped his knees. "So… You wanna do anything? I got video games… Granted it's a pre-used Playstation 2, but it's something," he shrugged and said, "but if you're tired that's cool, too." He looked up at him questioningly.

"Hmm Well gee that's nice of you, Kenny… But I mean it's your house and all… W-whateva you wanna do…" he said with a nervous smile. Really, all Butters wanted to do was sleep. His head still ached a little, and the bruises were sore. Plus, this was getting more and more awkward by the minute for the blonde and he kinda just wished the night would end…

Kenny dragged his fingers through his hair and whistled. "Whooo boy, Butters. You really are something else, arntcha?"

Butters winced, still standing in the middle of the room. "Whatcha mean…?"

He shrugged and pulled at a loose string on the bedspread. "I dunno… Like I mean like I already said, I'm just not used to this. Usually by now, Cartman would've inhaled our weekly food supply and hogged the video games for the entire night, or Stan would've started right up with some boring angsty speech about that fucking girlfriend of his or something… It's just weird, ya know. You're so… I don't know."

"I don't know…?" _"Strange? Faggy? Gullible? Queer?" _The impossibly long list of insults ran rampant through Butters mind.

"Easy going."

"_What!"_ "W-what? Really?"

"Yeah totally man. I mean, Kyle's pretty cool like that when he wants to, but there's always that… cold undertone. Especially when the fatass is there, which he usually is unfortunetally. You're just…" Kenny paused to trace circles on the bedspread. "Comfortable."

"_Wow…"_ For once, Butters was lost for words. Where had _this_ come from? "Oh gee, thanks so m-much Kenny! Wah- that's really n-nice of you…"

Kenny just shrugged… and then, "Anyway… what's up that stutter thing of yours? You've had that for like… forever. I mean, I kinda just forget it's there, most of the time but… I've always wonder…?" His sentence ended in an obvious question.

By now, Butters had slowly mad his way to stand next to Kenny's bed, his hands playing with the pants strings, and at this comment, he blushed. Butters didn't really like talking about his stutter problem… He went to a counselor and they had talked about it before, but it was that sort of thing that you just live with and try to ignore. "Well, hmm, gee Kenny. I dunno. It sorta j-just comes out that wah- way…" he lied.

"Butters, dude, I know your lying. Come on, just spit it out."

"I dunno…"

"Dude we are having a sleepover, right?" He smirked mischieviously.

"Ya so?" Butters bumped his knuckles together and avoided Kenny's hard gaze.

"Ya soooo have'nt he ever had a sleep over before?" Butters ignored the question, wondering if Kenny realized that yes, he had, and in fact he had joined him and the other guys on their sleepovers before. "There's ya know… secret sharing and shit. And I mean what the fuck our we supposed to do anyway if we aren't gonna play video games or sleep."

"_He has a point…"_ Butters conscience interjected, but Butters shushed it. "Well um… I dunno it's kinda personal…"

Now Kenny was curious. "Oh really?" he said perking up. He frowned, thinking for a second, then said, "Well how about this. We'll take turns, ok? You tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one of mine. It'll be like… a game!" He really loved games.

"W-well um… That wah- sounds reasonable I-I guess…"

"Exactly," Kenny said smugly and leaned back against the pillows.

Butters hesitantly climbed onto the bed next to the blonde teen, and shifted his legs to get comfortable. Under any other circumstances he wouldn't tell anybody this, but this was a… special circumstance. Besides, Butters was actually kinda curious as to what secrets, if any, Kenny had. "Well…" he said wringing his hands, "it's sort of a nervous tic…"

"No shit."

"Yeah… and um… Well I g-guess… wah- I just get nervous and don't know wether t-to continue or not…" Butters looked up to see if Kenny was still listening. He was. "And um… I'm just a hesitant person. Wah- I never know if what imma bought to say is… acceptable."

"Acceptable…?" Kenny said questioningly.

"Yeah ya know… Like if it's what the other person wah- wants to hear and st-tuff…"

"Why care what other people think. You shouldn't give a fuck about what anybody else thinks, Butters," he replied with a frown.

"Yeah! Well it's easy for you to say… You're cool…" Butters mumbled, his face turning red. He hated talking about himself.

Kenny let out a harsh laugh. "Cool! Dude, look around you. My room, no my whole house, is a fucking gas station bathroom. We eat boxed macoroni _every night_, and my parents are like, constantly drunk. Please, bitch. I'm _not _cool."

"But the whole school loves you…" he said getting embarrassed. This was _not_ how Butters had pictured this conversation in his mind.

Kenny's faced turned instantly dark. "Butters. Read my lips. I don't give a _fuck_ about the rest of the school." Butters felt a shiver go through him at the bitterness of Kenny's curse. "I've got my mates, and the rest of the school can go fuck themselves."

"You seem to be doing more of the fucking of them then they are doing themselves!" Butters blurted out, then squeaked, his hands flying out cover his mouth. _"Oh Jesus… Oh sweet mother of God! Look what you've done now, you… you a-asshole!" _Butters hadn't meant to let it slip out. It was a complete accidently slip of the tongue. He hadn't meant to bring up the fact that Kenny was the known manwhore of the South Park High School, and that it was known throughout it that Kenny had slept around quite a lot. He was experienced, and Butters, along with the rest of the school knew that.

Butters flinched, expecting to full wrath of the teen, but when it never came, slowly he peeled his eyes open to see what was wrong. Kenny's face was pale, his lips pursed shut as he stared at the bed spread silently. His eyes were strangely blank, the steely blue dark and brooding. His hands were clenched in fists, the skin stretched taunt over his knuckles.

"K-kenny…?"

"I think it's time to sleep now," he whispered, cutting Butters off.

After a few moments of tense silence, Butters found himself in Kenny Mcormick's bed., in the dark, with the owner of the bed as far on the other side as possible, breathing quietly. They were sharing a bed. _They were sharing a bed._ The thought kept worming it's way into the teen's head, but he mentally shook it away. It was obvious, by the boy's stony silence and how he had avoided Butters pleading looks, that he hated him now. So Butters lay under the thin sheets on the cheap mattress, springs digging into his back, and tried despretally to hold back the flow of tears. Just as quickly as it had started, his new friendship had ended. Butters was lucky Kenny hadn't forced him out of his house to walk home in the dark alone. He was lucky to just be laying there in the bed.

"_Then why don't I feel very lucky…"_ Butters thought to himself and let one tear escape from his eye. It rolled down his cheek, past the cut there, and collected on his chin. It wobbled, and fell creating a miniscule dark spot on the orange shirt. _"This is all your fault, ya know," _his conscience reminded him and Butters bit his lip, trying so hard to not let any more tears out. He couldn't help it. Just the whole idea, how happy he had felt when Kenny had said 'friend' signaling a start of a new closer relationship, one that Butters wished he had more of, and suddenly having it ripped away from him. And having it be all is fault. It was too much for the teen. Trying to make himself as quiet as possible, Butters stared up at the ceiling and cried. His small frame shook with sobs, and he felt Kenny tense up across the bed. _"Oh great… Now you woke him up. Good going, Butters, you l-little shit."_

After a few more awkward moments of stifled sobs, Butters said the first thing that came to mind. "My p-parent's beat me."

Kenny froze, the sheets stretched over his back. Very slowly he relaxed a little, and said in a whisper so quiet Butters wasn't sure if he had really said it. "Really…?"

Butters nodded. "Yeah…" he said even quieter, staring up at the peeling ceiling. For some strange reason, Butters sang a verse in his head of a song that always made him cry. _"And I saw my reflection… In a snow covered hill. And the landslide brought me down…" _"W-when I'm bad…"

Kenny was silent, his back still turned.

"_Well I've been afraid of changing cuz I've built my life around you. But time made you older and children get older and I'm getting older too." _"Or if I say something… wrong."

"_And if you see my reflection in a snow covered hill, well a landslide brought me down…" _"It's mostly my dad really… He hits pretty hard…"

Suddenly, Kenny rolled over to look at Butters, and the boy could see tears shining in his eyes. His breath caught in his throat. Was Kenny, strong tough cocky Kenny from the bad side of town, crying? "Is that why you stutter, Butters…?"

Butters looked at him, and bumped his knuckles together under the sheets. "Well, um y-yah, Kenny. It wah- is…"

Their eyes met, and Kenny frowned. "I'm sorry, man…" he whispered. "That's um… that's a real bummer." He was still crying, now more freely.

They were silent, not quite knowing what to say to each other, but still keeping steady eye contact. And surprisingly… it wasn't awkward, as Butters thought it would be. It was… nice. "I have sex with lots people… at school ya know, cuz I'm self conscience. Ya know… sex is just sex. It makes me feel better… about myself…" Kenny finished his confession that trailed into a whisper that was barely audioable. He looked away. "And I mean… Don't tell anybody I said that… I'll fucking kill you Butters… Seriously man… Cuz I've never, um, told anybody that before…" Butters barely took any notice to the empty threat.

"Well gee Kenny…" he breathed. "Imma not gonna tell anybody that… You can count on me." He meant it, too. "As long as you don't tell people… what I said. I've never told anybody t-that either… Wah- they're nice people, Kenny… But when I g-get outta line… they handle it differently then others… I don't wah- wanna get t-taken away from them…"

Kenny just shrugged, and looked down at the sheets.

"And anyway… It's ok. A-about your… problem I mean. Everybody wants to feel l-loved…"

"Not love, just sex."

"Oh."

"But love's nice, too… I just don't get that a lot ya know…" Kenny had stopped crying, but for once the usually comfortable boy looked embarrassed, something Butters had never seen before.

"Well, gee Kenny, I love you."

"Butters… I'm not a fag," Kenny said a bit too quickly.

He flushed. "I-I meant as a friend…"

"Oh…" Was that… Was that a hint of disappointment in Kenny's voice? No… No it couldn't be. It was simply just Butter's imagination playing tricks on him. That was _impossible._

"Yah…" Suddenly, it got real awkward real fast. _"Dangit, Butters! Why do you always ruin everything!" _

"Hey Butters…?"

"Yeah?"

"How come we were so mean to you back in elementary school…?" Butters could tell it was a rhetorical question, so he intently continued to listen, actually feeling curious himself for the answer. Yes, why _were_ so mean to the boy back then? "I mean… I know it was mostly Cartman and stuff, but I mean we all just kinda… let it happen. Nobody really _did_ anything to stop him, ya know?" Oh how Butters knew. "And like… that whole ninja star thing… Jesus Christ I'm _really_ sorry about that, man…" Butters heard his voice crack, and he bit his lip. _"Do something, dumby!"_ his conscience cried out.

"Awww, Ken. D-don't cry… It was ok, really! It turned out fine, right?" he tried to comfort the crying fifteen year old.

"Yeah, I know! But I mean… Nobody even cared about _that_ either! They were only concerned about fucking _Cartman_ being fucking naked on TV! Nobody even cared that a little boy had a fucking ninja star in his eye!" Kenny sobbed, and Butters panicked. He had _never_ seen the teen cry this much in his entire life. He had always thought of Kenny as that emotionless whore of a boy, who had Eric's title of best friend, one which Butters had always envied, the towns poor kid who lived near the train tracks. This was a whole new side of Kenny he had never seen before. It was weird… It was like you thought you knew someone, and then you're whole perspective of them changes. _"T-this is so trippy,"_ Butters decided, then reached out to pat Kenny awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Hey Kenny… P-please don't cry… My dad says c-cryings for wah- little girls and babies… You're tough, K-kenny…" he trailed off as the wailing boy took his awkward pat as a sign to reach out and cling to Butters. He grabbed onto the boy and hugged him tightly, still crying into his over sized T shirt. Butters flushed. _"Oh hamburgers…" _He patted Kenny's back again and said, "There t-there… wah- let it all out… It's gonna be ok…" This was all a little too… weird for him. Usually Butters was the one crying… being comforted… "It'll b-be wah- fine… Honest, Kenny…"

"But… I feel so _bad_, ok? I mean… How do you live with yourself?"

Butters frowned and stopped patting him. "Well… Gee thanks, Kenny."

"No!" the teen wailed. "I didn't mean it like that…" He looked up and steely blue eyes met pale ones. "I mean… I'm serious. How do you live like that? The stuttering… And I mean I know our school's full of fucktards and all… but I mean you're _Butters! _Jesus… I mean it's always, kinda been on my mind, ya know… But how do you handle it?"

"Being bullied…?"

"Yeah!"

"Well gee… I dunno… I kinda just ignore it ya k-know…? I mean… ya it's bad… But I explained this to S-stan once… After I got dumped by that Lexus girl ya know… From Raisins?" Kenny nodded. "Everyt-time somebody hurts my feelings… Everytime my d-dad hits me when I'm bad… Yeah It makes me feel pretty…. Well pretty wah- shitty honestly. But wah- I know like… however sad I'm feeling then… that means I'm human ya know? It means that if I'm that sad, there's always gonna be a happy to m-match that right? There's wah- always an opposite to everything. Black and white. Big and small. Sad and happy. So… I mean like I said. For however sad I am, there's an equal feeling of h-happy. Just knowing wah- that helps me to keep going!" Butters smiled a little. "Knowing that feelings there… That i-it's possible to get… It keeps me going. Wah- that's how I handle it," he finished quietly, whispering it into Kenny's hair that was muffled against his face.

Kenny was silent. He had stopped crying, and was now just hugging Butters tiny midsection and looking down blankly. Then he looked up and met the other boy's eyes. "Butters?" he finally said.

"Hmm y-yeah Ken?"

"You're a good friend…" he whispered. "Much better… then um… Cartman."

"_But Eric's his best friend…"_ Butters thought to himself, feeling a bubble of hope grow in his chest. "Gee… Thanks, Kenny. You're a good f-friend, too!" Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, Butters shifted his neck a little to give Kenny a peck to the forehead. It was a friendly gesture. A non-gay _friendly_ gesture…

Kenny was again… silent. No rude comment about fags. No ew get away form me. Just silence. After a few moments of feeling Kenny's rumbling breath, his heaving chest next to Butters, the teen realized the other had fallen asleep. Moving him over a little to get more comfortable, but still keeping their close proximity, Butters cuddled up in the sheets and curled into Kenny's sleeping form. "Good n-night… friend," he whispered and shut his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was that? Good hopefully. Anyway... Sorry if they seemed OOC, especially Kenny. He really actually pretty badass, but that was just his vulnerable side coming out, which it often does around Butters... <strong>**Please Review? It makes me wanna keep writing...Even just a simple little "Keep writing" X'D Haha If you can spare the time. Buh bai~  
><strong>


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